The Unique

Texas
A week after the Incident

The streets were in an uproar. Rioters were destroying cars and breaking windows. Inside the crowd a man walked quietly through them. He looked far in front of him and could see the police in riot gear trying to stop the riots. The man looked at the angry faces in the crowd and rolled his eyes. He shoved past masked men holding signs that declared the Incident the, "End of Days." The man stopped when he saw a group of people throwing rocks at the police.

He watched them throw rocks at the police. He watched one of the rocks hit an officer in the head. The man shook his head at the group. He looked between the group and saw a teenager. The youngest one in the group prepared to throw a rock at the police and aimed. He quietly approached the group and quickly grabbed the teens arm. The kid stared at the hand and looked at the man that grabbed him. The kid squirmed and tried to pull the mans hand off but his grip was too strong. The kid looked at the man and saw him shaking his head.

“Don’t do something you’ll regret, kid.” He said, letting go of his hand. The kid looked at the man in confusion and realized what he was saying. He dropped the rock in his hand and bolted out of the group. The kid put his hand in his pocket and looked at the man. He looked at his group and saw the police were arresting them. The kid looked back at the man and walked away, staring at him.

The man watched the kid run into the crowd and turned back around to see the rock throwers getting pulled to the ground and put in handcuffs. He made a small laugh at the rock throwers attempts to break free and walked away. He finally got off the street and walked on the crowded sidewalk. He looked to his side and saw a building with its windows barred up. The open sign was destroyed but a small paper attached to the window showed its open hours. The man reached for the doorknob and realized it was locked. He knocked on the door and waited for the door to open.

The door opened, revealing an older man holding a shotgun. The older man pointed the gun at the mans forehead and looked at him. The man looked at the gun pointed at his head and grinned. The old man quickly realized who it was and put the gun down. He sighed in relief and dropped his gun.

“Oh, it’s just you. Come on, get in.” The oldman said, putting a hand on his shoulder. The man walked in and they entered the club. Inside the club, he saw men and women stare at him then turn back to the tv They all seemed to acknowledge who he was. They were sitting quietly in their seats watching the television.

The man looked up at the television and saw the same press conference from a few days ago. A woman named Starlight Glimmer had revealed the existence of aliens and a secret agency that was made to prevent magical catastrophes. When the conference happened the whole world went up in a frenzy.

The man looked around and saw an empty seat and promptly sat down. The bartender wiped a glass and brought it towards him.

“Water.” He said. The bartender rolled his eyes and reached for the water.

“You always want water, Scorch. Ironic, if you ask me.” He said, pouring water in his glass.

“I don't want anything else..” Scorch said, drinking the glass of water. He took a swig and stared at the tv screen. The news was showing footage of what they were calling, “The Incident,” along with footage of riots around the world.

“Today marks the first week after The Incident where the existence of aliens came to light. This is also the fifth day of riots and looting across the planet. Multiple countries have declared martial law while the US continues to ride out the riots maintaining its stance that the riots will end.” A news reporter said.

“In all my years I never thought I’d live to see aliens. Bunch’ve babies.” The bartender said, cleaning a glass.

“How come?” Scorch asked, wiping his mouth.

“All these riots and looting. It’s all bull. They find out a spiders sharing their home and they panic.” He said. Scorch thought about the comparison and laughed. He nodded his head in agreement.

“What do you think about all this?”

“What do I?” Scorch asked, pointing at himself.

“I think it’s amazing how one little reveal can cause so many people to riot. Then claim they were justified.” Scorch said, sipping his glass.

“You and me both, Scorch.”

"Breaking off from the riots, we have confirmed the identities of the people killed during the Incident and have learned their affiliation with local crime boss, Neo." The reporter said, showing several mug shots of people Scorch knew. To his surprise, Scorch saw a photo of himself among the montage of dead people. The bartender laughed at the photo and looked back at Scorch.

"Look at that, Scorch. The world thinks your dead."

"You hear from Neo lately?" Scorch asked, thinking back to what he said to Neo.

"Not since before this. My guess? He's bringing more of his friends in to replace them." The bartender said, referring to the dead men on tv.

"It's a shame what happened to them. Everyone in this bar knew at least one of Neo's men." He said, watching a woman crying on the table in the back.

"I'm sorry, Scorch. You knew them all, too. Being his right hand and all."

"Yeah...I did." Scorch said, thinking of one person in particular. Scorch finished his glass and stared at the bartender. He nodded and poured more water into Scorchs drink. The bartender grabbed another glass and poured himself some water.

"How 'bout a toast?"

"Sure." Scorch agreed.

"May Neo's men find rest and Scorch burn in hell. Ay men!"

"Ay men." Scorch said, clashing with the old mans glass. They both took a swig at the same time. Scorch and the old man continued talking after the toast. After an hour of hiding in the club, Scorch left. Scorch exited the bar and heard it lock as soon as he left. The street was empty but he could still hear the riots from a block away. He walked down the empty streets with his hands in his pockets. He crossed the streets thinking about the past week. He couldn't help but think back to the time he was with Behemoth. He could still feel the flame inside him, cackling. He couldn't explain it but something about his fire was different than before. Sometimes, it felt like someone else was inside him. Talking. He shrugged and clenched his fists in silent rage and continued walking.

He walked by a small alleyway with a small dumpster. For a split second, he noticed someone else was in the alleyway. He chose to ignore it and avoided the alleyway. He was supposed to go there to get to where he was living quicker, but he decided it wasn't worth it. He walked by the alleyway and thought he heard footsteps coming closer.

CLACK

The sound of a clip entering a gun stopped Scorch in his tracks. He frowned and slightly groaned. But a part of him didn't groan. Instead it chuckled. Scorch felt his temperature rising and knew something was wrong.

“Don’t turn around. Get your hands out of your pockets right now." The robber said. Scorch narrowed his eyes and pulled his hands out of his pockets.

"Good. Now give me everything you have in your pockets and I’ll let you go.” The man demanded, quietly. Scorch raised his hands in mid air and shook his head. The robber looked at Scorches hands and watched his sleeves fall. He then noticed a nice watch attached to Scorch.

“Look man, listen. I don’t want any-“

“Shut up. Give me the watch.” The man demanded. Scorch glanced at his arm and realized his watch was in plain sight. Scorch was not going to give him his watch. The watch made him think of a much happier time of his life. Before Neo. Scorch groaned in annoyance and slowly turned around. Causing the robber to move back.

“I said, don’t move!” Scorch turned around and realized it was a teenager. The orange skinned Teen was wearing a grey thick jacket and hoodie. Scorch looked at the kids face and froze. He reminded him of someone. Scorch watched as Dodge’s face formed in his head as he stared at the kid. He felt his heart stop beating and could feel himself start to sweat.

"Oh no." Scorch thought, beginning to hear laughing in his head.

“Hey, are you deaf? Give me the watch.” The kid demanded.

“Kid, you don’t want to do this. Not with him.” Scorch warned.

“Shut the hell up.” He exclaimed.

“You can run away and I won’t let him chase you.” Scorch warned, causing the kid to raise his brow in confusion. He shrugged it off and kept his finger on the trigger.

“I said. Give. Me. The watch.” He demanded. Scorch stared at the kid, then looked down at the ground. The flame inside him was laughing at the kid. Scorch closed his eyes and sighed. He reopened them and stared back up at the kid.

“Kid. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.” Scorch said, igniting into a huge ball of fire. The kid stared at the fire and flinched back. He fell back and landed on the sidewalk, staring at the fire in shock. He watched with horror as Scorch walked out of the fire covered in flames. Scorch stared down at the kid and laughed with a terrifying echoed voice.

“You should have listened to his warning, kid. Cuz now you’re stuck with me.” He smiled. The kid got on his feet and aimed at Scorch. He pulled the trigger once and fired. The flame could see the bullet darting towards him and laughed. He flicked his hand and ignited the fire on his arm. The fire bursted forwards like a jet engine and melted the bullet before it could hit him. The robber watched his bullet vanish in the flames and grew more terrified. He screamed and fired several bullets into the flame. The flame saw the bullets and laughed. He opened his mouth and let the fire fly forward. The sudden blast of fire propelled forward and reached the bullets halfway between him and the robber. The robber stared at the fire breathing man in front of him in horror. He pulled the trigger again and heard it click several times. The robber felt his heart stop at the realization he had run out of bullets. The wall of fire in front of him grew large. The robber felt the intense heat and knew he had to get out of there. He watched the fire move towards him on the sidewalk and took steps back. When he realized the fire wasn't stopping, he attempted to turn around but he was stopped by a hand grasping his ankle. The robber screamed when he saw the hand grabbing him from the fire under him. He was too shocked to realize the fire wasn't burning him.

Then the rest of him rose from the fire. The robber watched in shock as the hand grabbing his ankle rose higher up his body and reached his chest. He was even more shocked to see a man rise out of the foot tall fire under him. The hand on his chest gripped his jacket and slowly lifted him off the ground. The robber looked down at the burning man that had hold of his jacket and started to kick and scream. The robber tried to break free from his grasp, and attempted to hit him with the pistol. His eyes grew wide when his pistol made contact with the flames chest and sunk right in. The flame looked at the gun in his chest and laughed. The robber flinched at the extreme heat burning his gun and let go of it. He watched as the gun sunk further into his body like lava. The flame looked at the robber struggling and laughed. He threw him across the street into garbage bins. The robber screamed the whole way and crashed hard into the garbage.

The flame stared at the floor and felt the heat rising in his hands. He let a huge burst of flame blow out of his hands and lifted him high into the air like a rocket. He flew over to the groaning robber and stared down at the kid.

“You made a mistake. You didn’t mean it. I know you’re scared.” Scorch said, slowly descending on top of the kid. The teen screamed in fear as the flames grew closer and closer to him.

“Come on, say you’re sorry.”

“I’m sorry. Please don't kill me.” He cried.

“I know you are and I’m proud of you.” The flame said, flying into the sky. His voice echoed through the street, scaring the teen even more.

“If it were up to me I'd let you burn, but Scorch doesn't want that.” He said, staring down at the kid. The flame groaned and touched his forehead. His time was up.

"So long, kid." The flame waved. The robber watched the burning man fly away from the street. The fire that had spawned from him quickly vanished after his departure. The only evidence of his flames were the scorch marks left behind.

Present Day

Inside the Agency, Starlight Glimmer stared at the large monitor inside Tech Division from her spot on the second floor. A couple dozen agents were watching the monitor as well from downstairs. Most agents were up from their seats and were grouping up. The giant monitor was only officially used for missions and news reports. Unofficially: whenever Jeopardy was on. At the moment, the monitor was playing the local news station for Canterlot City. Starlight and the other agents collectively groaned as the news started. Since the fight with Crackdown, the Agency had prepared for the media storm ahead. The news station opened with footage of Crackdown with the headline, Destruction in Canterlot. Eyewitness footage showed Crackdown coming out of the subway tunnel.

Although the footage was shaky, it showed enough of Crackdown's destruction. The footage cut to the police fight with Crackdown. The footage had a clear sight of the battle and showed how ineffective the cops were at stopping him. In the middle of the fight, the camera cut to a zoom in of Norman and Adagio's blurred-out faces running away from the fight. The footage was edited in a way that made it seem like they were abandoning them. Then the footage cut to the fight with Tauren. The camera recorded Tauren and Crackdown's entire fight for the whole world to see.

Starlight stared at the screen with silent scorn. She watched the battle unfold on camera and could already see the ramifications this could cause.

The footage stopped and switched to the news desk where a green-skinned man stared at the screen with a face that showed his intense displeasure. The whole Agency collectively booed at the sight of him. That man was, Lax Reporter. The Agency’s biggest fan.

Starlight rolled her eyes at the sight of him. Lax Reporter was the top reporter for the Canterlot News Report. After the Incident, he quickly became the most vocal reporter to speak out against the Agency. Before the Agency, he was a barely relevant newscaster that had some controversal opinions about the world. But after the Agency went public, his popularity skyrocketed. Whenever he was on, he always had something to say about the Agency.

“Wow. So much for protection, huh?” He said. A picture of the Agents running away faded in to the right.

“Our so-called Department of Magical Prevention running away from a magical attack?” He said.

“We were trying to help the people in the subway!” Adagio yelled in the crowd, getting a couple shouts in agreement from the surrounding agents.

“A crazed agent shooting a bazooka while people are still running?” He said. Footage of Bonbon shooting a rocket at Crackdown played. The camera zoomed into the explosion with edited and poorly cut audio of people screaming.

“I didn’t shoot the rocket until everyone was out of the line of fire!” Bonbon shouted at the tv. Starlight glanced down from the stairs and saw Bonbon staring angrily at the tv. Deacon was next to her, trying to calm her down.

“This is what they have to offer to protect us? Cowards running away and mentally unfit lunatics shooting rockets while people are in the way? Not to mention the complete uselessness of their bazooka!”

“How did this all end, you ask? If you can’t beat em, just send the alien to fight for you.” He said. Footage of Tauren fighting Crackdown played in the background.

“I know what you’re thinking? How the hell did this Agency remain a secret since America’s founding when their own workers show this much incompetence?”

"Screw you!" A agent shouted, getting cheers from the crowd.

“We tried getting in touch with the Agency to comment, but they don’t seem to answer their calls.” He said, cutting to Lax calling the public number for the Agency.

“Hello?” A voice asked. The Agents in the crowd immediately recognized Deacons voice and cheered.

“Hello, Lax Reporter for Canterlot News Report.”

“...” Deacon said nothing and hung the phone up.

“Hello? Are you there? Hello?” Lax asked. The camera then cut back to Lax's face.

“Friendly, amiright?”

“Later on, I’ll be joined by city mayor, Mayor Mare and top scientist in his field, Dr. Grey Matter, to discuss the alien threat and the possible causes of the “anomalies” around the world. More when we get back.”

Starlight rolled her eyes at the tv and leaned onto the railing. The Agents below cheered and laughed at the screen when the commercials started playing. Any cut to commercial was celebrated when Lax was on. Deacon looked at the agents around him and received praise and a couple of fist-bumps. The agents that weren't close around him gave nods of approval.

Starlight watched the Agents downstairs and saw the laughs and smiles. Despite the times, the Agency morale was high. Starlight cracked a smile in silent approval. Luckily, no one saw it except her assistant. Starlight turned and greeted her assistant.

“Hello, Madame."

“Hm? Yes, Bright?” Starlight asked.

“You have a phone call.” Bright said, holding on to a clipboard.

“From who?”

“The President.” Bright said. She heard Starlight whisper something under her breath, but she couldn’t catch it. Starlight sighed and let go of the railling.

"Thanks, Bright." Starlight said, adjusting her hair. She quickly turned around and walked away. Bright stood where Starlight was and hoped everything was okay. Being her assistant, Bright was worried about her bosses stress. Especially considering her current pregnate state. She stared off into space thinking about Starlight and didn't hear the footsteps coming up the stairs.

“Hey, Bright.” Bright jumped in surprise and turned to see Ronin looking at her with a welcoming nice.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Ronin apologized.

“It’s okay. I knew it was you.” She pretended.

“What’s going on with my-...with Madame?"

“She got a call from the President.”

“Oh.” He said, realizing it was one of those calls, "He must’ve watched the news.” Ronin said, looking at the tv.

The news had returned to talk badly about the Agency. The Agents downstairs all groaned with some raising their hands in the air. The news was interviewing the mayor and a scientist. The mayor was showing her support while the scientist was neutral. The reporter was asking questions that painted the Agency in a bad light.

“I can’t believe that guy hates us so much.” Bright said. Ronin nodded his head in agreement.

“You and me both. Knowing him, he'll find a way to make everything we do look bad.” Ronin said. After the riots had calmed down, many began to show their support of the Agency and Equestria after the official report claimed that they helped save the planet. Countries of the world officially recognized Equestria as it’s own nation. This action was made so that they would have the chance to visit Equestria for diplomatic reasons and technological exchanges.

However, the portal that lead to Equestria was on American land, meaning no country could enter the US without permission by the government. And as of now, the US had no plans of entering the portal. They instead labeled it “Top Secret” to the rest of the world. Only the Agency and the President of The United States know its location.

“Come on. Let’s go see what Madame Glimmer’s doing.” Ronin said.

“I think she’s still talking with the President.” Bright said, catching up with him.

Bright and Ronin walked to Starlights office and slowly entered the room in silence. Downstairs, Norman watched the two of them enter the office and grew interested. Norman was with Bonbon and a few other agents watching the news. He always hated listening to Lax on the news.

Norman took a step back from the group and walked up to the staircase. He was about to go up them when he felt his phone vibrate. He grabbed his chest pockets and felt nothing. Reaching lower to his pockets, he felt his phone and pulled it out. The ringtone was loud and had gotten several agents to turn. Deacon heard the phone and stared at Norman. Norman opened his phone and hoped it wasn't a telemarketer. He looked at the phone and saw it said, Unknown Caller. He raised his eyebrow and wondered if a parent of one of his students was calling him. Bonbon approached Norman and grabbed his shoulder, peeking at his phone from behind.

"Who is it?" Bonbon asked.

"I dont know." Norman said, letting it go to voicemail. Almost immediately the ringing started again.

"They really want to talk to me, though." Norman said. He tapped the answer button and put the phone up to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Is this Agent 32-N? Norman?" The man on the phone asked. Norman heard his ID number and his eyes widened as he looked at the unknown caller on his phone. He quickly pulled his phone away and looked at Bonbon. Bonbon looked at Norman's face and saw the surprise in his eyes.

"Get, Deacon." Norman said with a serious tone. Bonbon understood his seriousness and immediately sprang into action. Norman put the phone up to his ear again and started walking towards Deacons office.

“Yes? Who is this?” Norman asked.

“That doesn’t matter, we need to talk.” The familiar sounding voice said.

“We’re talking right now.” Norman said, moving into Deacons office. He took a seat and continued listening. Bonbon approached Deacon and grabbed his arm. She pulled him closer to her and got a confused look from Deacon.

"Deacon, I need you." She said.

"Sweetie, what are you doing? You know they caught us last time, right?" Deacon asked, getting dragged away from the agents.

"It's not that. It's about, Norman. C'mon."

Deacon looked at Bonbon and shrugged. She grabbed his hand and he followed her through the crowd. Entering his office cubicle, he saw Norman sitting on his chair. Norman saw Deacon and immediately pointed at his phone. Deacon saw Normans mouth move and understood the words he was mouthing.

"Trace it." Norman mouthed. Deacon nodded and quickly headed to his desk. He turned on his computer and quickly started typing.

“Who is this?” Norman asked.

“I can’t tell you over the phone, but I need your help.” The voice said on the phone.

“You know who I am, I can't know you?

"Too risky."

"Alright. So you need my help?” Norman asked.

“Almost done.” Deacon whispered.

“I do. I have something that's very important and you're the only agent I trust.”

"Should I know you?

"You should."

“Well, where do you want to meet?” Norman asked.

“Head to Canterlot Cemetery, right now and we’ll talk.”

“I got it.” Deacon said. Norman dragged the chair over to Deacons desk and looked at his computer.To Normans suprise, the callers phone was traced at Canterlot Cemetary.

“He’s not lying so far.” Norman thought.

“Why there?” He asked.

“That’s where you buried Dodge, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“Come here and find out. I know you’re tracing this call to my location, Norman. I wouldn’t be telling you where I am if I didn’t want you to find me.”

“Okay, So you’re telling the truth, but how do I know I can trust you?”

“You can’t trust me, you’re just gonna have to take a chance.”

“Alright, I’ll see you at the Cemetery.”

“Good. Come alone, I'll know if you don’t.” The man said, hanging up. Norman put his phone away and saw Bonbon and Deacons faces. Bonbon had her arms crossed and shook her head. Deacon had an unsure expression on his face.

“I’m going.” Norman said.

“No, you’re not.” Bonbon denied.

“If he wants me to come alone, I’ll come alone. It’s an open field, Bonbon. I’ll know if things are bad before I get there.” Norman said, getting up out of Deacons chair.

“I don’t like this.” Bonbon said with concern.

“Yeah, Norman. This sounds really sketchy.” Deacon said.

“The guy has my phone number, I have to go down there whether I want to or not.” Norman said. Bonbon turned her head and thought things through and sighed.

“Okay, but if anything happens you have to call me.” Bonbon ordered.

“I’ll be fine.” Norman said , hugging Bonbon. Norman broke the hug and walked to the door. He turned his head and nodded at Deacon. Deacon nodded back and said goodbye.

“You better come back alive or game nights gonna be boring here.” Deacon said. Norman smiled, rolling his eyes.

“If the Madame asks where I’m at tell her it’s a parent conference.” Norman said, walking out the building.

Bonbon gave Deacon a look that he knew all to well.

“I’ll track his car through the satellites.” Deacon said, getting Bonbon to smile. Upstairs they heard Starlights office creak open and saw Ronin walking out with Bright rushing towards him.

"Ronin wait!" Bright exclaimed, catching up to Ronin. Bonbon looked at Ronin's face and could see the anger in his eyes. Bonbon narrowed her eyes in thought. Deacon had heard the commotion as well and took a peek at Ronin's face.

“Kid looks pissed.” Deacon said, typing away on his keyboard.

“You track Norman, I’ll go see what’s wrong.” Bonbon said, leaving Deacon alone. Deacon stopped typing and leaned back on the chair, putting his arms behind his head. Deacon typed several commands on his keyboard and reached a menu. The screen cut to a black screen with a single page that asked. You are about to track this agent. Continue? Deacon stared at the screen for a couple seconds. He knew he wasn't supposed to use the satellites to track people without getting authorization from the Madame or one of the other higher ups. He sighed and pressed the enter key.

“Doing this to keep you safe, man. You’ll thank me later.” Deacon said, justifying himself. In space, a light source on the Satellite turned green. The satellites camera lens focused in and out as it adjusted its position in orbit. Back on Earth, Deacon watched as the computer began accessing every camera spotting Normans car. Deacon watched Norman enter the parking garage and get in his car. Deacon saw Normans car exit the garage and was shortly followed by a ding notification.
On a smaller window, a red dot appeared above the Agency signifying its target. The satellite had spotted Normans car and proceeded to track it.

Norman drove through the streets in silence. It didn't take long to exit the city using the highway. He took the exit to the right and started to drive through farmland. He passed by a red farm with entire acres of apple trees. Norman recognized the farm from a photo he had seen at Canterlot High. He passed by a sign on the road that gave the identities of the farm away.

Sweet Apple Acres: Proud Supplier of Food for Canterlot High and Local Markets.

Norman read the sign as he drove by it and grinned. He drove on further and further from the farm and passed by windmills. After 10 minutes of driving he made it to Canterlot Cemetery. Norman approached the front gate and stopped his car. He made sure his car was making as little noise as possible and stopped the engine. He sat in his car and stared out at the cemetery. He sat there in his car for five minutes, scoping out the scenery. He couldn’t see anything or anyone inside. He stared at the church inside and for a second thought he had seen the door slightly open. Seeing no one around and assuming the mystery man was in the church, Norman turned the car back on and proceeded to drive into the entrance. He slowly moved through the road as he scanned the field through his windows.

He reached the end of the road and stopped the car. He stopped the engine and listened for any suspicious noise outside. The Cemetery was quiet. Only moving tree branches and the occasional birds chirping.

He knew right away that something wasn’t right, but he had no choice. Whoever wanted him here could probably see him. He stared out the window to his left and looked at the graves ahead. Norman focused his vision on the grave in the distance. He knew that grave belonged to Dodge. He could still see the numerous flowers that were placed on the grave in good condition.

After a few minutes in his car, he decided to stop wasting time. He removed his seatbelt and opened the door, slowly getting out with a hand attached to his gun holster. He closed the door and flicked a small switch on his watch. Immediately, a key poked out the side of the watch where Norman easily grabbed it. He locked his car up and quickly pushed the key back in its slot.

He turned back around and stared at Dodge’s grave. With nothing else to do, he made his way to the grave with hesitation in every step. As he approached the grave he looked around for his mystery caller, but saw no one.

He stopped infront of Dodge’s grave and stared at it. He read the words on the grave and didn’t notice he was being watched. As he stared at the grave he noticed a orange hue reflecting off the plaque. As he focused more on the reflection he could see a human figure above him. He quickly took his gun out and pointed it at the man hovering above him. Norman eyes grew wide when he realized it was Scorch.

“Do you remember me?” Scorch asked.

“I thought you died?” Norman said, calmly.

“I thought so, too.” Scorch said, hovering down slowly. His feet softly landed on the grass, causing it to turn black.

“Don’t try to shoot me. You’ll waste your bullets.” Scorch said, changing to his human form.

Norman stared at Scorch as his flames disappeared and was replaced by a set of clothes on his body. Norman wondered how his clothes were on fire, but he summed it up as magic. He stared at Scorch for a few seconds and aimed his gun down. He put the safety on and put it back on his belt.

“I thought you had a beard?” Scorch asked.

“I shaved it.” Norman replied.

“So, you’re alone?” Scorch asked.

“Yeah.” Norman said, truthfully.

“Good. Come with me.” Scorch ordered, walking towards a small church in the distance. Norman recognized the church as the one they held the funeral for Dodge at. Norman stared at Scorch as he walked to the church and followed him shortly after.

They reached the church and walked inside. Inside was rows of seats and a empty stage at the front. Above the stage was a tinted window that resembled a cross.

“After the Incident happened I thought you’d all be looking for me.”

“Well, when the whole city saw the huge explosion in the sky and Dodge coming back without you in sight, we assumed you were dead.”

“Can’t hunt a dead man.” Scorch commented. Norman nodded in agreement.

“What happened?” Norman asked.

“Dodge blew up and sent the both of us into the sea. After that it was all a blur. All I remember is screaming and crying in pain as my body hardened into obsidian.”

“Damn.” Norman thought out loud. Scorch nodded in agreement.

“A fishing trawler caught my body in its nets and picked me up. After a few seconds I managed to break out of my obsidian body and flew away. I didn’t know I could fly when I did that, but I didn’t give it any thought. I just.. flew.”

“We got a report of a boat incident, but we never looked into it because of the uproar that started after the press conference.” Norman explained.

“After that I found Neo shortly after. He tried to get me back in his gang as his right hand, again. I refused and abandoned him at his house. That’s when I flew to Texas and laid low.” Scorch said.

“When I realized no one was looking for me, I rejoined society.”

“At least I know how you’re here, now. Why did you call me? Why now?”

“... I need your help. I got caught up in something huge.”

“What do you mean?”

“A few weeks after the riots died down. A man showed up at the abandoned building I was hiding in. I asked him how he found me and he said he was always watching me. He told me everything he knew about me, including my power. He offered me a job to help him look for others like me, but I refused. Then he showed me his own powers.

The house I was hiding in was abandoned and overgrown. Dead bushes and grass had covered most of the bottom floor. I didn’t care much for them, but they seemed to have been like that for ages. Then, with just a flick of his wrist, everything in the building bloomed and expanded. I accepted his offer after that and joined him in his search.”

“Who was he?”

“His name was Dr. Prion. From what he told me, he used to be a botanist and researcher for a private company. He left after he discovered his powers and shortly realized there were others like him.”

“I was with him for only a month, but we managed to find twenty Uniques.”

“Twenty Uniques?”

“They were spread across the states. I was the one he sent to look for them alongside Mirror.”

“Mirror?”

“We were close. Very close. She was one of the first Unique’s that he found. She could create portals that would instantly take us to whatever location we needed to go. It made things a lot easier for us. When we brought the Unique back to him he would ask for a demonstration. Then when it was over he would take them away and we would never see them.”

“And you never wondered where they went?”

“We thought nothing of it.” Scorch said, glaring blankly at the window.

“What changed?” Norman asked.

“I was fooled. I went inside the room he took them to and found out who he really was. A monster. It was a like a hospital from hell. He strapped the Uniques in restraints and experimented on them with his magic. I recognized all of them. I was the one who put them there. That’s when I learned the dark side to his power. He could heal life, but he could also destroy it. He was creating diseases with his magic and testing the effects on the Uniques.”

“That must be why he wanted to see their powers before going on with his plans.” Norman hypothesized.

“Whenever he had a Unique that was too strong for him he’d keep them as his workers. He was using us to lead Uniques to their death.”

“Then what happened?” Norman asked. Scorch pulled out a memory stick out of his pocket and showed it to Norman.

“I looked at his computer in the room and learned everything I could. I noticed a usb in the computer so I moved everything I read onto the stick and took it.”

“Smart. What’s in it?” Norman asked.

“His experiments. He recorded them all. Before I took it I noticed a file titled Top Secret and opened it. He lied about who he was before the powers. He used to be part of your Agency before leaving with another Agent, years ago.”

“Jesus.” Norman said, covering his mouth in disbelief.

“That’s how I found your number. After I took everything out of the computer, I burned the computer. I ran out of the room and told all the Uniques what was happening.”

“Once I told them the atrocities, Prion was committing they joined me. Except for two.”

“They already knew.” Norman realized. Scorch nodded his head in confirmation.

“I don’t know who they were, but all I got was they were the Doctors muscle. One of them was a Unique that Prion had found. The other one was odd.”

“How odd?” Norman asked, in confusion.

“I didn’t see anything about him when I was in Prions room. He was there before he found all of us. When we staged the breakout, he managed to kill two Uniques and Mirror without showing his powers. Mirror opened a portal and let the last of us escape to a random location. If it wasn’t for Mirror sacrificing her life, I wouldnt know what would happen.” Scorch said, staring at the floor in sadness.

“I’m sorry.” Norman said with sympathy.

“Mirror was a good person. She used to be a teacher in an elementary school before she got her powers. We talked everyday and would stick together when we went searching for Uniques. She was the only person I grew attached to in the building.” Scorch said, remembering her.

“I left the surviving Uniques to safety and flew here as fast as I could. That’s why I called you. I need your help to stop Prion before he and his henchman do this again to other Uniques.” Scorch pleaded.

“Okay, but if I’m gonna help with this we need to make one thing clear. You listen to me. Just by listening to what you said I can tell you’ve changed, but I need to be sure.”

“Alright.” Scorch said, getting up.

“Alright.” Norman repeated, getting up.

“We’re taking my car.”

Norman and Scorch entered the car and quickly drove out of the Cemetery. Up above the earth, a satellite stared down at the Normans car with its camera and sent the feed to Deacons computer. Deacon was watching Norman drive to the airport and stared at the screen in confusion.

“What the hell are you doing, Norman?” Deacon mumbled, getting out of his seat. He quickly rushed to find Bonbon and tell her what he saw.

“Bonbon’s gonna be pissed!” Deacon exclaimed in his head. He walked up the stairs and immediately stopped when the Madame was infront of him. Deacon stood straight and saluted her, instantly.

“Madame.” Deacon said. He was starting to freak out on the inside. He couldn’t let Starlight know the Agency was breached and that Norman was gone, but he also couldn’t lie.

“Deacon.” Starlight said. Starlight looked at Deacons face and noticed sweat on his forehead. She noticed he was slightly slumping and his arm was shaking as he saluted. Starlight could see it a mile away that Deacon was nervous.

“Something the matter, Agent Deacon?” Starlight asked in suspicion. Deacon gulped and responded.

“No, Madame.”

“Are you sure?” Starlight asked.

“Yes, Madame.” Deacon said. Starlight raised an eyebrow at his quick response.

“Why were you running, Deacon?”

“Lord give me strength.” Deacon pleaded in his head. Starlight stared at Deacon and narrowed her eyes.

“I- I was going to find Bonbon.”

“Why?”

“We were going.. to go... to the... movies.” Deacon stuttered, thinking of something to say.

“Oh, really? What movie?” Starlight asked, folding her arms. Deacon internally screamed.

“Uhhh... God..zilla...” Deacon said, whispering that last part.

“Deacon, that was out last year.” Starlight said.

“It was?” Deacon asked, mentally shouting profanities.

“What are you doing, Deacon?” Starlight asked. Deacon stood there thinking of anything he could say to her and caved in.

“The Agency was breached.” Deacon said. Starlight raised an eyebrow and listened to Deacon.

“Norman got a phone call and left to go talk to him. We don’t know anything else about the situation, but so far things are under control.” Deacon admitted. Starlight narrowed her eyes and stared at Deacon.

“Hmph. At ease.” Starlight ordered, Deacon immediately relaxed and thanked Starlight.

“Well that explains why our satellite was following Norman’s car. “ Starlight said.

“You knew?” Deacon asked.

“Deacon, It's my job to know everything we do.” Starlight said.

“You two continue spying on him. I’ll send Agents to follow him. Thanks for telling the truth, but I highly recommend you work on your speaking skills.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Dismissed.” Starlight said. He thanked Starlight and walked off towards the direction Bonbon went. Deacon sighed in relief as he walked away. Starlight watched Deacon leave and could hear the news in the background.

“Madame Glimmer? More like Madame Loser.” Lax said, getting tons of shocked gasps and boos from the Agents. Starlight simply shook her head and sighed.

“I really hate that man.” She said to herself, staring at the giant monitor with intense hatred.